


Flying Low, Flying High

by DragonSaphiraReads



Series: Fluffuary 2020 [7]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: College AU, Wing AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:08:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22605256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSaphiraReads/pseuds/DragonSaphiraReads
Summary: In a world where humans had wings, Logan was born without any. It wasn’t until college when he started to realize that maybe, he didn’t need them anyways.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil/Creativity | Roman/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton
Series: Fluffuary 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619986
Comments: 5
Kudos: 94





	Flying Low, Flying High

**Author's Note:**

> Like listening to podfics? You can listen to this oneshot on my YT channel here https://youtu.be/YAorgUbacGg

Logan had been born without wings. His parents had found out when his mother was in her third trimester that the bones and muscles required for their growth had not formed, and that they never would. 

They didn’t let that affect how they raised their son, of course. His parents loved him, and he never doubted that. But his parents couldn’t protect him from the rest of the world, and how they would treat someone as different as him. 

He didn’t get to play with the other kids at recess. They would make excuses, telling him their teams were full or that it would be unfair, but Logan knew they were lying. He knew it was because he was different, because he’d been born without something that they all had. They weren’t willing to alter their game for him. 

He spent recess in the classroom, reading at his desk while the teacher graded papers. She would occasionally look over at him with sympathy, her own burgundy and black wings fluttering. 

Logan would draw as well, though he wasn’t much of an artist. He only ever drew one thing - wings. Big wings, small wings, wings of all colors and shapes and sizes. Always on a little boy with brown hair and brown eyes, just like himself, and he imagined what his wings would have looked like if he had them. Sometimes they were white, sometimes black, but mostly they were a dark navy blue. 

One time, another kid had to stay in from recess because he had been misbehaving during class. The boy sat right behind Logan, and he could feel him breathing down his neck as he drew. 

“Is that you?” The kid whispered loudly when the teacher stepped out of the room. Logan didn’t answer him - the kid had never been particularly nice to him, making fun of his glasses and the fact that he liked to read. He just pulled his paper a little closer to his chest, curling his arm around it protectively. 

“Why are you drawing wings on yourself? You don’t have any.” The kid spat, and Logan bent his head, trying to ignore him. “You’re just a freak! You’ll never be normal like the rest of us so you shouldn’t even pretend!”

And before Logan knew what was going on, the paper was yanked out from under his arms and shredded in front of his eyes. The kid had a smirk on his face, glowering down at Logan. 

“You’re a loser who’s never gonna be anything! You’re gonna be alone forever cause nobody’s gonna love a weirdo like you!”

When the teacher walked back into the room with a stack of copies, she found Logan with his head on the desk, sobbing his eyes out while the other kid looked uncomfortable, his wings curled around himself to try and hide. 

After that, Logan was allowed to visit the library during recess when there were other students who stayed inside. 

Logan stopped drawing those pictures once he hit middle school. By that point, he’d accepted that he would never have wings like the rest of the kids around him, and it became his goal to just disappear into the crowd. If he didn’t draw attention to himself, then the bullies would leave him alone. 

Though that also meant Logan also didn’t make many friends during his school years. Distancing himself from everyone made that pretty much impossible. He told himself he didn’t care - he had his studies and his books to keep him entertained, and he was happy being alone. 

He tried to keep that attitude when he went off to college as well, but the universe seemed to have other plans for him. 

Logan first met Patton Foster at orientation, when they sat beside each other during opening ceremonies. Logan tried to keep his head down as usual, sitting at the front where nobody else wanted to and reading a book as he waited. But then there was a boy sitting next to him, with curly red hair and huge, fluffy looking gray and brown wings, and Logan braced himself for the inevitable first question he would receive. 

“Whatcha reading?”

He blinked. That was not what he expected. He closed the book slightly so the other could read the title, and he gasped. 

“Oh, I love that one!” 

Logan finally looked up, seeing for the first time the boy’s clear blue eyes and brilliant smile. “Really? I’ve never met anyone who’s read it before.”

“What!? Of course, it’s my favorite! I’ve got my copy in my room right now! It’s even signed!”

“You’ve got a signed copy?!”

“Mhm! Oh, I’m Patton, by the way! Probably should have started with that!” Patton laughed, scratching the back of his head. 

“I’m Logan.”

They talked until the orientation activities began, and Patton insisted that Logan join his group as they went to another part of campus. Logan felt his nerves slowly relaxing. Patton seemed to be a kind person - he hadn’t even looked at Logan’s back with that curious expression people normally do when they want to ask but aren’t sure how. He was sure Patton had noticed though, which was why he still kept himself guarded, only letting the conversation drift to light, unimportant topics. 

“So what dorm are you in, Logan?” Patton asked as the group was wrapping up and they were splitting off. 

“Holly.”

“Oh really? Me too! Do you wanna walk back together?” Patton exclaimed, his wings fluttering with excitement. Logan carefully agreed, suddenly becoming all too aware again of what he was lacking. 

They walked back to the dorm hall together, and Logan did notice that Patton was stepping very strangely as he went. Like he was trying to make sure every step actually touched the ground. 

“You can fly if you want.” Logan told him as they approached the tall building and Patton was eyeing the balconies above them. The redhead startled, looking at him curiously. 

“Really? But what about you?”

Logan shrugged. “It’s a more efficient way to reach your room. I live on the first floor anyways, but even if I had to take the stairs or the elevator, there would be no point in asking you to come with me when you can simply fly up there.”

Patton averted his eyes, suddenly uncomfortable. Logan rolled his own. “You don’t have to pretend you can’t see it. I don’t have wings - it’s impossible to miss that fact. I’m not going to get offended if you bring it up.”

“Well, I... I didn’t want to be insensitive.”

“Unless you were planning on touching my back without my permission to “check if there’s anything there” or lifting me without my permission to “show me what I’m missing,” then I believe you’re perfectly fine.”

Patton’s jaw dropped and his voice dropped to a disbelieving whisper. “People have done that?!”

“Some. Most just keep to long stares and occasional mutters under their breath. It’s nothing I’m not used to.” Logan told him, walking towards the front of the building. He heard Patton running after him.

“But that’s awful! How could people do that to you?!” Patton’s wings bristled, growing to twice their normal size and making him look big and menacing. 

Logan shrugged again, fighting to keep his arms at ease at his sides rather than crossing them. “It’s just a fact of life. People gawk at those who are different from them. Some just take it too far. It’s not happening to you, so there’s no need to get worked up about it.”

“Of course there is! Why wouldn’t I get worked up about someone picking on a friend!?”

Friend? Logan slowed, staring at Patton curiously. 

“We’re... friends?”

Patton nodded. “Yes! I mean, if that’s ok! I’d like to be your friend, Logan!”

Then Logan did cross his arms, his fingernails digging into his skin as he tried to comprehend what was happening. A friend? Logan didn’t make friends. He never had. But on this first day, there was already someone claiming he wanted to be his friend?

Was it out of pity? Patton didn’t seem like the type, but Logan had never been any good at reading people’s true intentions. True kindness and plain old sympathy looked the same to him, so he tried to avoid both. 

Well, if it was false, it would eventually reveal itself. It always did. That was why Logan nodded, hearing Patton squeal happily. 

“Awesome! You should come visit my room sometime, my roommate went all-out decorating it! It’s 504, ok? And if you come up on a Sunday, we might have fresh cookies!”

Logan hummed, promising to come up and see him at some point. Then he entered the building and heard the harsh swish of air from Patton lifting off the ground. 

Though Logan didn’t know it at the time, that would be the inciting incident that everything would revolve around. That day, his life completely changed directions without him ever realizing it. 

~

As it turned out, Patton was in several of Logan’s classes, so they spent a lot of time together both in class and outside it. After the first few days, any fear of Patton spending time with him out of pity vanished. It was clear that Patton was a genuinely kind person who found Logan interesting for who he was, rather than what he lacked. 

Because of that, Logan forced himself to suppress the growing feelings that threatened to surface every time he saw the bubbly young man. This was Logan’s first friend, he didn’t want to ruin that by throwing these new feelings into the mix. 

One day, they left the classroom together as always and Patton was happily chattering about a cartoon he’d recently watched when he suddenly stopped and stared at someone. Logan followed his gaze and saw a kid dressed in all black with striking purple hair and huge gray and black wings leaning against the wall and staring at his phone. 

“Virgil!” Patton called excitedly, running over and hugging him. The other wrapped an arm around Patton in return, kissing the side of his head. “I didn’t think you had class right now!”

“I don’t. I had to meet with my professor for something, so I figured I’d wait for you.” Virgil told him, and Patton cooed happily. 

Logan watched this from a distance, feeling a rock forming in his stomach. Of course Patton already had a boyfriend. He was such a sweet, adorable, genuine person, Logan was foolish to think he was the first person to realize that. 

At least it would make it easier to push away his own feelings now, knowing that Patton was already taken. They would stay friends, and Logan was perfectly happy with that. He had to be. 

“Logan, c’mere!” Patton waved him over, and Logan forced a neutral smile onto his face as he walked to the two of them. “This is my boyfriend Virgil! Virgil, this is Logan!”

Virgil saluted him lazily with a lopsided smile. “Hey.”

“Nice to meet you.” Logan greeted, eyes flickering between the two of them. 

“We were just about to get some lunch, do you wanna come with us?” Patton asked Virgil, and after a moment he nodded. 

“Sure, I’ve got a little time.”

“Is that ok, Logan?” Patton asked, and Logan nodded stiffly. “Perfect!”

Logan lagged behind them as they walked to the dining hall. The sidewalk was only wide enough for two people side by side, so he let them have their time alone. After they ate, he made an excuse that he had homework to do and excused himself early, leaving Patton and Virgil alone together. 

Patton didn’t treat him any differently after that, but Logan found himself making more excuses to spend time alone. It hurt to be around Patton now, even though Logan had already been planning on not making a move to change their relationship. Just knowing that it wasn’t an option anymore made it too painful to see him. His relationship with Virgil was perfect - they complemented each other in every way. It didn’t help that he also found Virgil extremely attractive as well. 

Patton had picked up on his behavior, but Logan told him he thought he might be getting sick and didn’t want him catching it, and that was enough to keep him away for a week or so.

But it didn’t last forever. One day near the end of October, Logan opened his door to find Patton standing outside.

“Patton?”

“Hey Logan! Are you feeling better today?”

Feeling better? Oh, right, he’d mentioned feeling nauseous the day before to avoid having to be around Patton and Virgil.

“O-oh, yes, I’m feeling better. I must have just eaten too much.”

Patton hummed in sympathy. “Well I’m glad you’re doing better, because I wanted to know if you would come watch Roman perform tomorrow afternoon!”

Roman was Patton’s roommate, and on the sky-dance team. Logan didn’t particularly want to go, but he found he couldn’t say no to Patton’s puppy dog eyes. 

“When is it?”

The next day, promptly at 2pm, he made his way over to the open field behind the rec center with a blanket, as instructed. A stage had been constructed on the edge of the field, facing away from the river that ran past campus. 

Apparently, this performance was part of a larger charity event the school was hosting, and its main draw was the ability to picnic near the river. As such, there were people of all ages walking around. Logan did his best to keep his head down and move quickly to find his friend, and he found himself thankful for once for his lack of wings. It made it much easier to move through the crowd. 

He found Patton near the front, lounging on a bright blue blanket with Virgil sitting behind him, absently scrolling through his phone. Patton sat up in excitement as Logan approached, waving him closer. 

“Logan! I’m so glad you came, it’s such a perfect day! We’re so lucky!”

“Lucky for Princey, I wasn’t gonna sit out here if it was cold or raining.” Virgil droned, and Patton pouted. 

“That’s mean, don’t you want to support him?”

“Oh c’mon Pat, we both know he’d rather be caught dead than get wet and look like a drowned rat while he’s performing.”

Patton seemed to reluctantly agree with that, and as Logan laid his blanket down there was a high pitched squeal from the loudspeakers and an announcement that the performance would start in just a moment. 

Logan didn’t know exactly what to expect. He’d always avoided going to sporting events in school, and sky-dance especially. It was pointless to him - why would he go and watch a sport that he had no interest in, and couldn’t even join if he wanted to?

All he knew was that it was a flashy sport, complete with embellished costumes, intense makeup, and props. From what little he knew about Patton’s roommate, it seemed to suit him perfectly. 

Music came to life through the speakers, and a young man came walking out on stage in time with the beat. As expected, he had on a flashy costume, a white outfit with gold embroidery running across it, and a red sash crossing over his chest. But the costume was nothing compared to his wings. 

At first glance they looked white, but as the young man began to dance to the music, the stage lights bounced against his wings and he realized that they had been decorated with iridescent threads, reflecting a full rainbow onto the black curtains on the side of the stage. 

Even as the music picked up and the rest of the team ran out on stage and took flight into the air, Logan kept his eyes fixed on that first dancer. When he took off into the air, Logan saw that he had pieces of translucent fabric wrapped around his wrists and ankles, which trailed behind him as he flew. 

Suddenly, Logan wished he hadn’t written the sport off so quickly, because he was mesmerized. Every movement was part of a larger dance, and with every dancer in sync, it was easy to forget that it wasn’t just one person performing. 

“That was amazing!” Patton cheered as the dancers took a bow, looking over at Logan and gently tapping him on the shoulder. “Are you ok?”

Logan shook his head to break himself out of his trance. “That was... unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”

“The sky-dance team here is really good! They’ve gone to nationals almost every year, apparently!”

“I can see why.” Logan responded to Patton, staring at the now empty stage as the performers scattered into the crowd. Then he noticed that the dancer he’d been so entranced by seemed to be making a beeline for them. 

He was even prettier up close. His skin was perfect and he had gorgeous brown eyes, and his wings looked incredibly soft. Logan suddenly had a strong urge to run his fingers through the downy feathers, and he clamped his arms at his sides to keep himself still. 

“That was incredible, Roman! You looked great!” Patton squealed, jumping to his feet and throwing his arms around the dancer. Roman laughed, hugging him back.

“I think you mean incredibly extra. Look at you, you look like you just walked out of the circus.” Virgil stood up, teasing Roman as the latter made a face at him. 

“You’re just jealous that my wings look better than yours!”

“Sure, keep telling yourself that.” 

Roman rolled his eyes, moving away from Patton and tugging Virgil into a one armed hug. Then he pressed a kiss to Virgil’s check, leaving a red mark from the lipstick he’d been wearing.

“Aww, come on!” Virgil whined, tugging himself out of Roman’s grip and wiping at his cheek with his sleeve, only managing to smudge the lipstick more. 

“Me next!” Patton cheered, offering his cheek to Roman for a kiss too, which Roman happily obliged. 

Logan was confused, and Patton saw it on his face when he looked back. “What’s the matter Logan?”

“I thought... that you and Virgil were dating?”

“Hmm? Oh, we are!”

Logan blinked, pointing at Patton’s cheek. “But...”

“I’m dating Roman too! We’re all dating each other! It’s called polyamory, and I--”

“I know what it is.” Logan interrupted him quickly, and Patton pursed his lips. “I just... didn’t know you were.” He tried to keep his tone casual, not accusatory or hopeful. 

Patton sighed. “Yeah, I was a little scared to tell you at first, cause not everyone’s ok with it, you know? But... well, I realized that I really wanted to ask you something, but I needed to know if you were ok with it first.”

“Ok with... what?” Logan asked, his heart jumping into his throat. Could Patton be saying what he thought he might be saying?

“I... really like you, Logan. And I’d really like to go out with you, but if you’d rather be with a monogamous partner, then I’d understand--”

“Yes!” Logan shouted, then panicking and covering his mouth when he realized how loud it was. “Y-Yes, I would... I would like that.”

Patton’s smile grew and he tackled Logan in a hug. Logan slowly returned it, seeing Virgil and Roman smiling at him as well. 

As they separated, Patton suggested they all go get something to eat from the vendors across the field. They agreed, and Patton grabbed his hand and walked side by side with him. 

Logan couldn’t help but give the hand a small squeeze, knowing he would never be able to convey the full extent of his gratitude and love. 

Patton squeezed back, and Logan got the feeling that he already knew.


End file.
